Not applicable.
The present invention relates to cheese brining apparatus in general, and in particular to automated cheese brining systems.
The production of many types of cheese requires that after the cheese blocks or loafs have been formed, they be exposed to a salt solution for a period of hours. This brining process has been practiced for centuries, sometimes on individual loafs, and in more recent times on large quantities of cheeses in batch or continuous processing apparatus.
In one widely used process, the molded cheese blocks, which usually have a density slightly less than the salt water in which they are floated, are advanced along brine filled flumes along a serpentine path. The submerged portions of the cheeses are thus exposed to brine, while the portions of the cheese which float above the fluid are subjected to a continuous spray of brine. One drawback to the use of brine sprays is the wide dispersion of the corrosive saltwater throughout the plant environment, imposing significant cleaning burdens, and creating a difficult work environment. In addition, to provide for a smooth flow of the blocks, a generous quantity of brine is required, imposing additional space and brine processing demands.
Another common process advances the cheese blocks from the flume into a rack composed of multiple stacked porous shelves. The rack is suspended over a brine tank and positioned with the lowermost shelf to receive a series of cheeses. As each shelf is filled, the rack is indexed downward to receive additional cheese blocks, until all the shelves have been filled, at which point the rack is entirely submerged for a period of time until the desired brining has been achieved. The process is then reversed with the rack being elevated one shelf at a time until all the cheeses have been discharged. However, since the last cheeses loaded will be the first unloaded, this process does not yield complete uniformity of cheese residence time within the brine. Moreover, the rack systems are often raised and lowered by hydraulic actuators, which must be carefully maintained to avoid contamination of the food product.
Cheese is produced in a variety of sized blocks or loaves. Although many established facilities will be dedicated entirely to brining of cheese of only a certain controlled size. Facilities which serve a variety of markets may be called upon to handle the brining of cheeses of different sizes. However, brining facilities designed to handle larger cheese blocks, may provide space for small cheese blocks to be turned or to double up in the flumes or other flow passages, requiring time-consuming manual dislodgement.
What is needed is a compact and easily maintained cheese brining apparatus which facilitates uniform brining of the cheese. In addition, a system which is readily adaptable to different cheese block sizes is desirable.
The cheese brining apparatus of the present invention has a series of narrow and tall above-ground stainless steel tanks which define independent brining cells into which cheese blocks are floated by common inlet and outlet flumes. Each cell receives a conveyor assembly having a looped belt formed of plastic links which is driven around a frame by an attached electric motor. The belt has evenly spaced outwardly protruding plastic flights. The infeed flume delivers a stream of cheese blocks to a cell. Once the entire length of a flight is filled, the belt is advanced one increment such that a belt flight engages the array of cheese blocks, causing them to submerge within the brine contained in the cell. The cell then receives another row of cheese blocks, and is again incremented, until all the submerged flights engage cheese blocks. The belt has a downward run which joins an upward run, such that the two runs diverge as the loop extends upwardly. The flights, which are approximately perpendicular to the belt itself, are thus always inclined downwardly, helping to retain the cheese blocks between the flight and the main body of the belt. The conveyor is halted once the cell is fully loaded, and gates are operated in the infeed flume to direct subsequent cheese blocks to another cell. After the desired residence time of a load of cheese blocks within a cell, the cell is opened to the outlet flume, a brine current is introduced and the conveyor is operated to successively bring each row of cheese blocks into position to be discharged. The flights may be perpendicular projections, cylindrical tubes, or hinged assemblies of two segments to accommodate different size blocks of cheese. To enable the system to better control cheese blocks of different size under automation, the brine flumes may be formed with a lower segment which is of a smaller width than the upper segment. When the flumes are filled to a first level the flume is wider than a large block of cheese, but not so large that two blocks can fit abreast or become jammed. By draining the brine to a second, lower level, the width of the active channel is narrowed, and smaller cheese blocks may in a like manner be controlled automatically.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system in which the first cheese blocks into the brine tank are also the first cheese blocks out of the brine tank.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system which permits segregation of treatment of cheese blocks.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system which permits tracking of individual cheese blocks.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system which may be entirely automated, and may be adapted for different sizes of cheese blocks.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system requiring reduced quantities of brine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system which reduces opportunities for foreign material to enter the brine.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a cheese brining system with high densities of cheese blocks.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.